Game of deals: bargaining behaviour of the European parliament in the Brexit process

Figures & data

Table 1. Operationalisation of bargaining strategies.

Bargaining strategy of
obstructing		• delaying approval until the EP gets what it wants • blocking a decision completely if concerns remain unaddressed or unsatisfactorily addressed
moving first		• engaging in direct, unilateral contact with negotiating partner in order to get a first-mover advantage
issue linking	within an arena	• alliances with actors that enjoy formal rights in the given decision-making context - linking requests to support for a policy issue
	across arenas	- tying demands to outcome in another arena
alliance building	with other EU institutions	• building alliances with other EU institutions
	with individual member states	• building alliances with individual member states
mobilising the public		• cooperation with the media or NGOs

Table 2. Bargaining strategies employed by the EP during the WA and TCA negotiations: A comparative summary.

Bargaining strategy of		WA negotiations	TCA negotiations
obstructing		applied partially (threats to apply it)	applied fully
moving first		applied fully	applied partially
issue linking	within an arena	applied fully	applied fully
	across arenas	not applied	applied fully
alliance building	with other EU institutions	applied fully	applied fully (but less intensively)
	with individual member states	applied fully	applied fully (but less intensively)
mobilising the public		applied fully	applied partially